Friendship Camp: Where Connections Take Root

In the Gorilla Highlands, some encounters do not end when the tents are packed away and the campfire fades. They continue to open unexpected paths.

Just over five months ago, Fred, Jonan, Patrick and Elie met for the first time during the Friendship Camp. For several days, young participants from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and Rwanda gathered to exchange ideas, share experiences and imagine how they could help transform their communities.

A few months later, those connections began to bear fruit.

Thanks to Fred’s commitment and to the program’s mission of connecting young people in the region to real opportunities, several participants were able to access a new learning experience. Elie and Patrick (DRC) and Jonan (Uganda) took part in a one-week intensive training on regenerative agroforestry at the Bethany Land Institute in Uganda’s Luwero.

During the week, the learning happened directly in the field. Between planting trees, observing soils and exchanging with trainers, the youngsters discovered how agriculture can become a solution to environmental challenges.

For Fred, seeing these young people continue to grow together is deeply rewarding.

“It is a great joy to see young people committed to changing the narrative of their region,” he explains. “Agroforestry is not just a farming technique. It is a concrete solution to the impacts of climate change.”

Research supports him. Agroforestry systems can store two to four times more carbon than conventional agricultural fields. According to the FAO, agroforestry could help remove up to 1.5 gigatons of CO₂ per year globally. Integrating trees into farming systems can increase soil organic matter by 30 to 45 percent, improve water retention by 20 to 60 percent, boost crop yields by 10 to 30 percent, and reduce the need for chemicals.

For Friendship Campers the experience was both a learning moment and a reunion. It proved that the Camp is a space where ideas take root, where young people build lasting connections and where real opportunities for the region begin to grow. The team at Edirisa on Lake Bunyonyi already benefited from the new knowhow!

text: Elie Cirhuza